Eating Peanuts Early May Prevent Allergies

April 23, 2015

Unlocking Word Meanings
 今日の単語・フレーズ

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article. 

1. combat /kəmˈbæt/ (v.) – to fight or oppose something
Example: You should take multivitamins to combat possible illnesses.

2. allergy /ˈæl ər dʒi/ (n.) – a condition in which someone becomes sick after getting exposed to something that is usually harmless to others
Example: John has a skin allergy.

3. contain /kənˈteɪn/ (v.) – to include something
Example: The liquid contains a small amount of alcohol.

4. rationale /ˌræʃ əˈnæl/ (n.) – the reason why something is done
Example: I want to know the rationale behind the experiment.

5. pediatric /ˌpi diˈæ trɪk/ (adj.) – referring to the health or illnesses of babies and young children
Example: My son needs to see a pediatric surgeon.


Article
 ニュース記事

Read the text below.
Results of a study show that eating peanuts early on may combat the development of peanut allergies.

Doctor Gideon Lack, a professor at King’s College London, led a study to find out if introducing peanuts to young children can prevent peanut allergies. This study, called LEAP or Learning Early About Peanut allergy, was launched back in 2006. The rationale behind this study is to figure out the best way to prevent peanut allergies from occurring.

This study followed the progress of 640 children who have a high chance of becoming allergic to peanuts. These children were in the ages of four to eleven months and were divided into two groups. The first group was fed food that contained peanuts while the second group avoided eating peanuts until they turned five years old.

The results of the study found that less than one percent of the first group developed allergies. For the second group, around seventeen percent of them developed a peanut allergy.

Clinical practices and guidelines before 2008 recommended that allergenic food should not be included in a young child’s diet. But with the results of the LEAP study, other pediatric specialists pointed out that not eating peanuts at a young age may increase the risk of being allergic to peanuts. Thus, new guidelines for food allergies might be needed.

While the results are promising, further studies are still needed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of introducing peanuts to a child’s diet early on.

Viewpoint Discussion
 ディスカッションテーマ

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.  

Discussion A

·         Aside from peanut allergies, what other types of allergies do you know?
·         In your country, what are the common home remedies for allergy?

Discussion B

·         Is it difficult to live a healthy lifestyle today? Please explain your answer.
·         Do you think it will be easier to have a healthy lifestyle in the next 30 years? Kindly discuss.

April 23, 2015